NBA lockout

When the NBA labor talks blew up last Thursday, we all knew it would just be a matter of time before more games were cancelled. Probably Monday or Tuesday of this week. The first two weeks of the season we already toast so what was next, another two weeks? How about just saying it’s indefinite?…

When “The Decision” happened, we said it would change the course of NBA history. We didn’t exactly see this coming. Since the lockout began, there have been several storylines beneath the primary conflict. The racial component, the in-fighting between agents and union officials, the superstars’ interjecting themselves, it’s been a party of subplots. But this…

From a great piece by Sports Illustrated’s Sam Amick: “What we told the players again today was that we could not trade one off for the other,” Silver said of BRI and system issues. “As much as we would like to find a way for a so-called win-win for both parties, or we win one…

In a solid piece about the NBA Lockout and the inherent implications of race within it, Reverend Jesse Jackson spoke to the Washington Post’s Mike Wise. And while Jackson’ insights on Bryant Gumbel are actually thought-provoking, regarding the actual tone of the talk and their potential damage to the game itself, Jackson’s a little behind…

Paul Allen did not come across very well after all was said and done on Thursday after the NBA negotiations fell apart broke apart blew apart like a soda can with a pound of C4 inside it. One writer outlined Allen’s history of random and reckless spending and decision making, another suggested that Allen may…

Hope some of the billion plus dollars we have given back in bargaining is going to the retired players who paved the way to the league 2dayFri Oct 21 19:53:35 via Twitter for BlackBerry®Spencer Hawes spencerhawes00 Now that’s just right kind of Spencer. I’m not a fan of Spencer’s game (remember when he was a…

One of the things that Adam Silver and Peter Holt said at their press conference Thursday, in-between explaining their completely ridiculous obstinacy regarding the 50/50 split and looking like someone stole their 1992 Alonzo Mourning rookie card (I will never forgive that kid), is that federal mediator George Cohen starts his sessions by getting both sides to…

Lost in the madness that was Thurday’s breakdown in CBA negotiations and the subsequent tommy-gunning by the union was the fact that the Board of Governors received those proposals on revenue sharing Thursday. Sometime in between evening coffee and deciding to let Paul freaking Allen and Dan freaking Gilbert be their representatives to the union…

I didn’t think there was much that could make me more depressed about the prospects of the NBA season. Then I read Adrian Wojnarowski well-researched post at Yahoo, ripping apart Blazers owner Paul Allen, his interest (or lack thereof) in the team and his motivations for being the heavy during Thursday’s labor negotiating session, when…

Consider this a cautionary tale. There are a lot of similarities between the current NBA lockout and the NHL lockout of 2004-05 that cost that league an entire season. Particularly in the rhetoric of the owners, talking about needing to radically change the system. “Competitive balance” has become the new “cost certainty” that NHL owners…

Kick off your shoes, grab a drink, put your feet up and make yourself comfortable. It looks like we could be at this lockout thing for a long, long time now. The longer this drags out, players are going to get hurt. The question is, which players get hurt the most? The conventional wisdom is…

This news is not surprising. In fact, I’d be shocked if Carmelo Anthony didn’t say he wants Chris Paul to play for the Knicks. It’s been on the radar since ‘Melo’s wedding and New Yorkers are salivating. But it also has lockout undertones. It helps explains why we are here. First, the quote from the…

Raja Bell is frustrated. Like the rest of us. Frustrated that we are talking about a “percentage of basketball related income” and games missed rather than the Chicago Bulls or New York Knicks. And he’s frustrated with David Stern. Really, he’s frustrated with the owners and the entire NBA family for not making a deal…

When NBA labor talks broke down 17 days ago, the owners blamed it on Kevin Garnett. And Kobe Bryant and Paul Pierce, but mostly KG and his legendary glare. The two sides had been making progress in talks, but those three NBA stars came in and drew a hard line at 53 percent of basketball…

It’s really hard for the NBA players to win the public relations war. I think they are in the right, that the owners are not really negotiating in good faith. But at the end of the day, if the players took the owners deal they’d make more than 99 percent of Americans and that makes…

The reviews of federal mediator George Cohen from both sides out of the 30 hours of NBA labor negotiations this week were positive. They said he was able to take the emotions out of the talks, made progress on smaller issues and tried to build momentum to big ones. Then it all blew apart today,…

Folks, we may not be seeing basketball for a long, long while. NBA fans should be wearing black on Friday in mourning. Saying he was “saddened on behalf of the game” NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver said that talks had broken off between the NBA owners and its players association. No new talks are scheduled,…

Revenue sharing between the owners was one of the things at the core of the new labor deal — players wanted to see more of it from the owners so they were not carrying the burden of sacrifices for the smaller markets all by themselves. Smaller market owners demanded it, too. Now a more robust…

Bryant Gumbel did what he set out to do — he got people talking about labor relations in the NBA. People are talking about David Stern and how the owners treat the players. Although, many people are just focusing on Gumbel’s “plantation overseer” comment more than the substance of his thoughts. (Henry Abbott did a…

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, as much or more than any owner, should want the NBA season to start. Every day it is delayed is another day he doesn’t get to hang a banner up and hand Dirk Nowitzki a ring. There is more partying to do. So with the two sides stuck in labor…

David Stern has declined to comment on HBO’s Bryant Gumbel comparing him to a “plantation overseer.” Probably wise to take the high road there. But NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver could not totally dodge the question during his remarks to the media after the Board of Governor’s meeting Thursday. He wouldn’t speak for Stern, but…

I can’t imagine why David Stern’s immune system broke down after 25 hours of negotiations over two days and little sleep. But it has and David Stern was sent home from the NBA Board of Governors meeting and is not expected at Thursday’s negotiating session between the NBA owners and players, Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver…

The players demanded greater revenue sharing among the owners be part of the labor deal. The small market owners demanded it as well — they wanted the rich guys to share. They got it, a new plan was approved in concept at Thursday’s Board of Governor’s meeting, Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver told the assembled media.…

I have no doubt we will see an amnesty clause in the new NBA labor deal being hammered out. There was one in the last deal, there will be one now. The amnesty clause allows teams to take one onerous contract off their books. It’s a way for teams to lower their salary to whatever…